Archive for December, 2010

During this period when we pause to give closure to one year and to welcome in the possibilities for the new year I ask you to honor yourself and your work by taking a few minutes to contemplate and create.

So ask yourself this powerful question, I call it the miracle question for your business…

If you could wave a (realistic) magic wand and you could create your ideal practice in the next 6-months to 1 year, what would that look like?”

Now take a few minutes to truly savor that- what would your days look like, what would you be doing each day (teaching, speaking, writing your book, seeing a handful of clients), how much would you be making, what would it feel like? Allow yourself to get lost in visualizing this for your business.

Now take 30-minutes and pull out some markers, crayons, oil pastels, magazines or any art materials that strike your fancy. Find or create images and words that support your ideal practice. Truly make this so yummy and a bit of a stretch to grow into, but also tangible and within the realm of possibilities. Play and enjoy the process and allow your heart to guide you.

Now take a few minutes to take in and relish what you’ve created. It should feel expansive, a bit out of reach, exciting and give you tingles!

Here’s the next step in this process- and where you can welcome in purposeful action. Ask yourself these questions and allow yourself to freely journal without any censoring, and see what you discover.

What do you desire to create in the next 6-12 months? Describe in detail what it would look like 6 months to a year from now.

What’s been stopping your from creating this vision of your ideal practice? (Keep asking this question until you have released all the thoughts, beliefs and physical things that are keeping your from achieving this vision).

How would it feel if you released all these things and beliefs that have been stopping you and you flowed easily and gracefully towards your ideal vision?

What do you need to do (or not do) or let go of to make your vision a reality?

What’s one thing your will do right now to take purposeful action towards your vision?

I celebrate the possibilities of your vision and know that you must take the time to reflect and welcome your ideal practice- then you must take purposeful action to make it come to life. That’s where I can help support your vision and help guide you to turn it into a reality ☺ Yippee! So I invite you to join me as I share my SECRETS of how I filled my own practice & created an award winning fee-for-service 6-figure business, and how I can help your authentically do the same! Register here for the Fill My Practice Secrets Complimentary Teleseminar now!

The holiday is fast approaching and I find myself doing the dance between wanting to “do more” for others and allowing myself the experience of surrendering to “enough”.

I’m not a mall gal, thank goodness, yet I feel myself getting caught up in the frenetic pace of trying to send out cards, mail out packages, make sure that all the gifts are wrapped, and the dinner accoutrements are purchased before the grocery stores close.

Ummm, it’s just not the Creativity Queen’s natural tendency to be so efficient and organized – that is why I married the Royal Creativity King (its like having my own personal Boy Scout)!

I digress… so daily mandala making gets squished into the day and although I find myself struggling to find time (more like a to-do these days) when I eventually pick up the markers, and surrender, I find such great peace in the process.

I hope you continue to surrender to what is, letting go of the expectations and always returning to self- love. Truly there is nothing more. In the meantime, enjoy the journey and happy art making (and holidays too)!

… establishing your expertise and credibility in your community, and beyond with Public Relations. You see, as an expert you are well respected, you’re seen as the ‘go to person’ when a problem arises, and you are sought out for your specialized knowledge, and paid more too! Plus, when you establish the unique solution that you offer, you separate yourself from all the other healers and helpers, and there truly is no competition.

Public Relations can be seen as the gift of maintaining relationships between your business and your potential clients. PR allows your message to be delivered by an objective third party, therefore it’s given more credibility and authority than a paid marketing message.

Healers and helpers will spend countless hours honing their gifts, and working directly with their clients, but they often put this essential marketing ingredient on the back burner.

1. Before you launch a PR campaign you need to be clear on your area of expertise. You can’t begin to launch a marketing campaign if you don’t know where to direct your efforts. Once you get clear on you area of expertise (and the unique solution that you offer), then you can start to spice up your marketing efforts and know exactly where to spend your time and money to reach your clients.

2. You’ve got your website and blog to further establish your expertise and credibility, now where else can you share your knowledge? Use PR to help you connect with the media and share solutions to problems that their listeners/readers may be having. You can connect with newspapers, radio shows, forums, magazines (offline and online), other bloggers, video interviews, ezines, podcasts, etc to share your message. Remember, target your PR efforts to a specific population, and the problem that you solve, and then you’ll be crystal clear where to find your ideal audience.

3. Great, you’ve identified a perfect resource, now what? Use your skills as a healer and helper to think in terms of service. How can you provide a potential reporter, blogger, or radio host with the easiest way to share a really valuable story with their readers/listeners? Send out a press release with a very catchy title or send a brief email that offers something of service to the person/organization you are contacting. Think in terms of how to help them out, versus wanting them to help you. The easier you make their job, the more likely they will use your content.

4. Keep a press kit ready to go. When someone asks me to speak at an event or for an interview I have a system in place to easily retrieve all the necessary information, quickly. Since most reporters are working on a tight timeframe, having these marketing materials on hand is essential. You can have a link to these on your website. Make sure you include in your press kit: A short (200 words) biography, including the clients you work with and how you help them (and a free offer to direct them to your website). Also include a headshot, an up-close professional photo, articles about you and other media coverage, and links to online videos and podcasts.

5. Ask- Yes, it’s that simple! Ask your friends, family, and media personnel if you can share your gifts. It’s amazing what happens when you start to ask. I asked my local books store to carry my book, and we ended up having a signing event in front of the store. From there it was easy to promote the event to the local newspaper with a press release.

6. Be creative, playful, and fun in the process. Shine your unique message and brand in your PR! I wanted to promote my business and get the “word out” that children can use their creativity to solve their melt-downs, shut downs and tantrums. Being the Creativity Queen I wanted it to reflect my Brand of playful possibilities, so I donned my “Royal Attire” and showed up at the reading festival, book signing events, and arts day promoting my book. I stood out, sold lots of books, and more importantly became ‘recognized’ for the creative work I do. You may not necessarily need to wear tights, but thinking outside of the box, and in alignment with your message (and brand) will help you create lots of f*ree PR for your business, and these days that’s a special ingredient we all should be adding to our businesses!

It’s Mandala Monday!! Yippee! I made the leap to daily mandalas 2 week ago and I’ve found myself relishing the process, especially when stress and overwhelm starts to creep in. Here’s what I’ve discovered in the process:

1. It’s easy to put aside something your doing for yourself because of other things (and people) you can to attend to. I can easily get distracted and do something else, but I keep reminding myself of the bigger why..’calm, centered, self-discovery’. I choose (again and again) to carve out the time to self-honor and when I do, the feeling is so delicious!! The days I don’t do it, I forgive and try again. No mandala self-flagellation here!

2. There were a few times these last few weeks when my blood was boiling, and when I took the time to do a mandala before I responded I found myself feeling more calm and level headed. I seriously need to tell someone the next time I’m upset, “Wait a minute I have to make a mandala before we can talk”, and walk around with an art pad tucked in my pocket- seriously!

3. Emotions come up when I give myself permission to sit and feel every day for 15-30 minutes. Surrender, surrender, surrender..isn’t that life in essence?

4. I purchased a new mandala book, and pull out my favorite art supplies. I had noticed in the past I had been saving the ‘good art supplies’ for working with others. So I claim the colorful box of $60 chalk pastel as ‘Mine’; acknowledging that every action of claiming my abundance allows more to flow back into my life- plus it feels oh sooo delightful to play with such rich and vibrant colors.

What have you discovered in the process? If you haven’t joined the Mandala Monday club, you can do so. Just make a circle and see what you create from it. Please feel free to share what you discover:)

I got the issue of MHISIG today-The Newsletter of the Mental Health Informatics Special Interest Group, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK and my head was spinning with possibilities. If you have yet to embrace technology in your practice, you may be missing connecting with clients (and new ways of engaging in professional development)-in ways you couldn’t even imagine 10 years ago.

The MHISIG newsletter does a nice job explaining how Web 1.0 was about disseminating information, and Web 2.0 is about connections and collaboration, and as a healer and helper this is a new paradigm of connecting with clients. So what options do you have using Web 2.0 to connect and serve more people? Well you can learn more about online therapy, chat/text therapy, or join second life and conduct Avatar therapy. You may find yourself relying on your smart phone to access information and to connect with clients…and that’s just the start.

We are on the frontier of a new world when it comes to helping our clients. Right now more and more clients are seeking help in ways that will provide them with comprehensive support, resources, and encouragement, in a more flexible manner. I imagine 1:1 face-to-face therapy will be a rarity in 10 years, as therapists embrace the flexibility of working from a virtual office (who wouldn’t like the flexibility of that).

The beautiful gift in embracing Web 2.0 (and beyond) is that you will be able to create change on a larger level than seeing clients 1:1 in your office; which means 1000’s of people a year can receive your help and make tremendous changes in their lives because of the accessibility of your gifts via technology.

Yes, Toto we are not in Kansas anymore, and now’s the time to take the leap forward in your practice! If you need some support to help you navigate technology and ways to connect with you more clients, they you’ll want to claim your seat at the upcoming Tele-Forum. CLICK HERE to Learn More!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”….unless your practice/business slows down and you’re left wondering how to finance the holiday gifts. Hmmm, then it’s not so wonderful at all!

The truth is that if your practice slows this time of the year and you’re left wondering how to overcome the holiday slowdown “slump” then I’m going to share with you some wonderful opportunities to help you create consistent income during the holidays and beyond!

1. Host a holiday open house-

Invite your referral resources, your clients, your colleagues, and host a holiday celebration with delectable snacks and refreshments. Not only will you celebrate your clients, you’ll reconnect with those people who may have forgotten about your services (and it may be exactly what they need this time of the year). You can even create a themed party, such as “stress free- holidays” and include a relaxation tip on the invitation, and hand-out goodies/door prizes donated by local retailers that also focus on stress-free services.

Want to expand your connections? Collaborate with a few related local businesses to maximize your business exposure. Get really creative and playful, if you work with girls host a mother-daughter spa night at your office. Here’s the KEY, make sure you have a plan in place to follow-up with all those new potential clients!

2. Offer a training program to other professionals-

All therapists, healers, and helpers have a wealth of modalities to share with others who want to learn from them. What is it that you do that you can share with others and help them in their own professional/personal development? Start marketing your program now and begin before the holidays, or start your marketing (and take early discounted registration) for your January training program.

If you are encountering “resistance” around this idea, stop and think, what is that about? It may mean that you are not seeing the value of your unique gifts (or you may just be taking those for granted). If you are really stuck, write a list or ask a friend, what you are really good at, and see how you can train others in this as well.

3. Share your holiday survival strategies-

There are so many people right now in need of your support. Now more than ever! Families are in crisis, people are alone and in need of healing, teens are reaching out for drugs and alcohol rather than their family, people who have lost a loved one are grieving without hope. There is tremendous pain and suffering, and you have remarkable healing gifts that can help them through this troubled time- if you show up. You must show up, and hiding out in your office when you could be connecting with others does not serve you, and it does not help those clients that so need you right now.

I ask you to recommit to your clients and yourself, and that you step forward in a way that allows others to connect with you. Host a teleseminar, host a workshop, ask to speak at a local venue, do whatever it takes to share your message of hope this season! You will change lives by showing up, listening, and sharing your message!

4. Offer flexible support-

Face-to-face therapy is changing. Healing work is now being done at an international level, and it clearly will impact how we work with our clients. (I know of a hand analyst who has international clients -yes, hand analyst, politically correct for palm reader ☺- so if you think your modaility can’t be offered via technology, think again!!

If you do not embrace new ways of working with your clients you may be missing out on an opportunity to support your clients in a way more aligned with their needs. So how can you offer flexible support for your clients during a period when many people are traveling or are in need of a flexible schedule?

Technology is the answer! Can you offer your teen clients email or text access to you while they are away? Imagine offering a holiday support program to mom and dad and teens with email/chat access to help manage those holiday stressors. What about phone sessions or Skype for those clients who can’t directly see you in person while they are traveling?

If you want to add support to your client’s services using technology, then you’re not going to want to miss the call on “Why and How To Build an Online Therapy Practice”, part of the Beyond Managed Care Tele-Forum. You’ll learn how you can add online services to your current practice (and how some insurance companies are now covering online therapy).

Now is the time to think of innovative ways to connect and serve your clients, so you can leave the holiday season humming…”it’s the most wonderful time of the year”!